Better Off With The Burrows
by Lily Hanson
Summary: Sometimes your family isn't the one you were born into.
1. Rebecca's Father

_Author's Note: Thank you to all my readers for being patient with my updates while I let my shoulder rest. I know it was a long wait for the next instalment of the Megaforce Series, but it's finally here and I really hope this story will make up for it. As for my shoulder, it's doing much better. I'll still be slow for updates as my recovery continues, but as long as I don't push myself I can spend some time writing. I've spent the last few weeks working on this little story and it's finally ready to be published. I hope you all enjoy and thanks again for your patience._

* * *

_Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers Megaforce. This story is fan-made._

_Author's Note: This is not where the Megaforce series starts. If you want to read the series without getting lost, I suggest you read my stories in the order they appear:_

_**No To Date Nights - The Party Night - Project Partners - Megaforce: Lives Behind The Masks - **__**Prom Night**__ - __**A Trip To Remember - First Meetings - Something She Loves – Protective Morans – Samurai In Harwood County – Rainy Days – Luck Had Nothing To Do With It – Ranger Support – Parents and Children – Hero Without The Spandex – Emma's Night – Emma's Mother – Bait And Switch – After Death – A Stormy Day – A Date For Tensou – A Mother's Advice – Mending Fences – Executioner Named Revenge –Those Three Words – On The Fourth Day – Babysitting – Tiger- A Fresh Start – On the Mountains – Looking Ahead – The Rangers' Recovery – Daughter's Nightmare – Megaforce: With Great Power –Cookies – The Babysitters: Jake and Gia**_

Rebecca loved her new family. She loved what she had with the Burrows and every day she was grateful that they had taken her in as one of their own. It was odd explaining her living situation to the other kids at school. Not many people could understand it.

Mr. Burrows was a kind man. He worked hard for his family and always did his best to give his family the best. Rebecca really looked up to him not just for caring for Troy like a son, but for taking her in, and treating her almost just as well as he treated his daughter. It was more than Rebecca could ask for and it made her feel so much better about her life and about herself to know she had someone like Mr. Burrows who would always be there for her.

Mrs. Burrows was the same way. She had every right to refuse to help Rebecca and no one would blame her. Rebecca was her ex-husband's daughter, but worse than that, Rebecca was the child conceived while her ex-husband had cheated on her. Yet, Mrs. Burrows never held that against Rebecca. She had opened her home and her arms to a troubled Rebecca and hadn't closed either since. In a time where Rebecca really needed a mother to care for her, Mrs. Burrows stepped up. Rebecca was already saving up her money for an amazing mother's day present.

But as much as Rebecca loved her new parents, they couldn't replace the old ones. Rebecca missed her mother dearly, and though her father hadn't always been the most kind, thoughtful, or helpful parent, she missed him too.

It had been too long since she had gone to visit him. It had been even longer since he had reached out to her. School had started up again, which kept her busy, but after classes were over she parted ways with Troy and the other Rangers to go visit her father.

Her father had moved in with Jake's mother in her house. The two had started dating almost immediately after Jake's mother's marriage fell apart. It had been quite sudden, and they had moved very quickly. Aside from what Jake had told her about his mother, Rebecca knew very little about Mrs. Holling – now Daniels. And Mrs. Daniels made no effort in getting to know her. The few times Rebecca had tried to talk to her, Mrs. Daniels chewed her out for abandoning her father.

Needless to say, they didn't get along.

So when Rebecca saw her step-mother's car wasn't in the driveway she felt a little relieved. This would just be a visit with her dad, without Mrs. Daniels making her feel badly for looking after herself.

She knocked on the door but found to her surprise that it was opened already. She walked inside the house and called for her father, announcing she had stopped by for a visit. She got no answer, which was odd considering she had seen his car in the driveway and knew he took it anytime he went out. He was not one to walk.

"Dad?" she called again and then heard his phone vibrating on the counter in the kitchen. She walked over and had a look. The call was from his therapist's office.

Rebecca never considered her father to be a bad man, but when she had been pregnant she and her father had gotten into a fight. Rebecca never wanted to keep her child but for months her father insisted it was her responsibility to raise him. When Rebecca, with support from the Burrows, stood up to her father and insisted she was going to do what was best for herself and her son, her father slapped her on the cheek. Some good advice from Gia made Rebecca move away from her father while he underwent therapy sessions to control his anger so that incident would never happen again. As Rebecca looked at the ringing phone she realized that it had been a long time since her father had updated her on his sessions.

The phone stopped and a voicemail was left. Rebecca didn't want to invade her father's privacy but felt she had a right to know how his sessions were going. To her surprise, there wasn't just one missed call, but several. Her father had missed all of his recent appointments.

"You had one job," Rebecca muttered and couldn't stop a wave of disappointment from washing over her. She set the phone down and walked to the living room. She hoped she would find him there.

She was right. There on the couch, passed out in a stained t-shirt, old boxers, and amidst beer bottles on the coffee table, the floor, and in his hand was her father. The TV was still on, so Rebecca assumed he had fallen asleep at some point during the day.

That meant he hadn't been to work. Rebecca walked up to her father and gently tried to wake him.

"Dad? Dad, wake up."

He groaned and slowly started to come too. He dropped the bottle in his hands and tried to roll over to fall back to sleep but Rebecca gently shook him.

"Dad, it's me."

"Five more minutes."

"Dad, I came to visit. It's been a while," Rebecca said. Her father slowly started to rise. He sat up on the couch, rubbed his eyes and then scratched his stomach as he turned to her. Rebecca noticed he didn't seem thrilled to see her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked and reached for a beer bottle on the coffee table. He tried to take a sip but it was already empty. He reached for another.

"I just wanted to visit," Rebecca said.

"Now's not a good time," her father answered as he tried more bottles to see if there was anything left. When he saw all of them were empty he picked himself up and walked to the kitchen. Rebecca followed him and saw him pull out a cold one from the fridge. Then he took out another and offered it to her. Rebecca shook her head.

"I'm sixteen."

"More for me," he said and opened the second one as well. Rebecca frowned.

"Have you been here all day?"

"I live here. How long have you been here?"

"I meant work, dad. Have you been to work?"

"I don't work."

"You work at the factory…"

"Nope," her father shook his head. "Not anymore."

"You quit?"

"Sure. After they fired me."

"You were fired?"

Her father looked at her like he didn't want to talk about it anymore, "What do you care?" he said. "You're not here anyways."

"You know why, dad," Rebecca said and pointed to her cheek. "Remember? Neither of us wanted that to happen again."

"How can it happen when you're never around?"

"Life got a little busy."

"With your new family?"

"You mean the family you left?" Rebecca knew that was a low blow, but her father wasn't being kind either. He glared harshly and then took another sip of his beer. Rebecca saw he was already done the first bottle and moving on to the one he had offered her.

"Jen was a bitch."

"I get sometimes marriage doesn't work out, but do you really have to talk about her like that?"

"You know she's not your mother, right?" her father said. "You know you can't just forget about us and pretend you're living a perfect little life over in that house."

"I haven't forgotten about you, dad. Or mom. I still miss her like crazy! I'm not trying to replace anyone, dad."

"So why are you living with that asshole. What's his name?"

"Your son?"

"No, the guy pretending to be his real father."

"Troy's dad? Mr. Burrows?"

"How's he treating you? Probably real nice, huh?"

"He's stepping up. He's a good guy, but he's not my dad. You are, even if you're not acting like it. Dad, what's going on? How much have you had to drink?"

"Gotta stay hydrated."

"I don't think beer counts."

"What's it to you?"

"Have you at least been going to therapy?" Rebecca knew the answer, but she wanted to see what her father would say before she confronted him on it. She knew this wasn't looking good for either of them but he was her dad. She wanted to give him as many chances as possible.

"Whatever."

"Does the therapist know you were fired?"

"It's none of her damn business."

"Does she know how much you've been drinking?"

"What does it matter? I'm a big boy, aren't I?"

"You should talk to her about these things, dad. She can help. It's her job."

"She's getting the check whether I show up or not. What does she really care?"

"So you're not showing up?"

"It's for chumps."

"Dad, it could help. You promised you'd try."

"I tried. It doesn't work."

"Dad, I can't come home with you like this. You need to get cleaned up. At least put on some pants."

"My house. I can wear what I want. Besides, it's not like there's nothing here you haven't seen before."

"That doesn't mean I want to see it again. Especially yours," Rebecca said. Her father rolled his eyes, downed his second beer and then reached into the fridge to grab another.

"How is my grandson doing, by the way?" he asked.

"I adopted him out, remember? He's with a good family. I'm sure they're taking great care of him. Dad, you shouldn't be worrying about that. You should be trying to take care of yourself."

Rebecca saw him place his beer down on the counter as he glared at her again. She reached out to try and take it from him. He slapped her hand away.

"You said you didn't want one."

"Yeah, but I think you've had enough."

"I'm fine. Look, if you're just going to criticise me about everything then you can leave."

"I came for a visit dad. And seeing you like this, I want to help."

"You want to visit? You want to help? Where were you on my wedding day?"

"Where were you for my play?"

"You mean your little high school musical piece of shit?"

"It wasn't a musical, dad."

"You wanted me to go to a play that made me look like a bad guy. You wanted me in that audience, pretending to be proud of my daughter who's making me look like a bad parent."

"It was mostly Gia's life. I kept you out of it as much as possible. Still, dad, you could have been there. We had a couple of rough years. The play was about getting help and doing better for yourself. And I worked hard on it. I really wanted you to be there."

"I had better things to do."

"Work? A session?"

"Poker with my buds," her father finished his beer again. He turned to the fridge to grab his fourth. Rebecca raced over and stood in his way.

"Dad, seriously, at least slow down. You're going to make yourself sick."

"Get out of the way, Rebecca."

"I know I walked out on you, but that doesn't mean I don't want you as my dad. I'm happy with the Burrows, but I'd be even happier if you were a part of my life again. I don't like not seeing you."

"I don't like you getting between me and my beer. Move."

"Dad, can we at least talk about it? I drank too when I thought my life was falling apart. Why don't we go to the living room? We can talk about your therapy or how it felt when you lost your job, or even how to fix us."

"Fine, let me get a beer."

"Without the beer, dad. You've had enough. You're drunk."

"Rebecca, I'm going to tell you one last time to move, and then I'm not responsible for whatever happens if you don't."

"Dad…"

"Move."

Rebecca sighed and stepped away from the fridge. Her father opened it and grabbed another beer. Before it could get it to his mouth, Rebecca slapped it out of his hand. The beer hit the floor and the bottle shattered, spilling it everywhere.

Then, before Rebecca knew it had happened, her father grabbed her, slammed her into the wall and she felt his fists and feet beating into her. It was short lived, but when it was all over her father pulled her away from the wall and pushed her on the floor. Rebecca put her hands out in front of her to break her fall but landed on the broken glass from the beer bottle. She let out a little cry of pain and rolled over. She hoped there was a look of horror on her father's face. She hoped he hadn't meant it, and he had just lost control and there was still something she could do to help him.

Instead, she saw him reach into the fridge and take several beers into the living room with him. Rebecca heard the volume on the TV go up. She grabbed a dish towel, wrapped it around her bleeding hand walked to the living room. Her father was flipping through the channels as he tried to find something to watch. Rebecca kept her distance this time but she didn't want to give up on her father. She had changed. She couldn't see why he couldn't do the same.

"Dad…"

"Do whatever you want, Rebecca," her father said without turning away from the TV. "If you want to stay, whatever. If you leave, don't ever bother coming back."

"You don't mean that."

"I'm your father," he said and looked at her. His grip on the remote tightened, like he was ready to throw it. Rebecca hoped he wouldn't. He stood up and walked over to her. He leaned over her. "I'm your family. I took care of you. I raised you, fed you, put clothes on you. If you want to forget about all that and go live with the Burrows or whatever they call themselves now then I want nothing to do with you."

"What if I promise to visit more?"

"Visit?"

"You're my dad. I want to see you. I want you to be a part of my life."

"Then start treating me like it!" her father launched the remote across the room. Rebecca heard it shatter against the wall behind her and winced. Her tears rolled down her cheeks.

Her father slapped her, "You have nothing to cry about. You did this! You screwed us up. You were the one who decided she was too cool to stay at home. You're the one who ran away! Don't think, for a minute, I'm going to pity you!"

"I didn't run away, dad! I want to fix us. We used to be so happy when mom was alive. You've changed."

"You know when I was happy? I was happy before you were born. I used to have it all! I had the family, the job, and a little fun on the side with your mother. You know what ruined it? You know what ruined me?"

"Dad…"

"You," her father jabbed her in the chest with his finger. "You ruined me. I never should have followed your mother! I never should have had kids! You ruined my life."

"It's the drink talking, dad. You… You don't…"

"I mean every bloody word of it," her father hissed. "I wish you had never been born. Make it happen. Get out of my life."

"I…"

"Get out!" he grabbed her arm and pushed her to the door. He shoved her outside and then slammed the door behind her. Rebecca turned around. She tried to open the door but her father locked it. She knocked. She beat on the door, but he never answered. When she walked around to the window she saw him on the couch with a new beer in his hand and watching TV.

"Rebecca?" she heard Mr. Burrows call behind her. She turned around. He stepped out of his car, which he parked on the side of the street and then he ran to her. He pulled her away from the window. "What happened to you?"

"I… I…" she could barely get her words out through the tears but pointed to the window. Mr. Burrows looked inside and he saw Mr. Daniels on the couch, barely dressed, with a beer in his hands. Mr. Burrows had heard Rebecca's cries from inside his car on the street. Surely Mr. Daniels could hear them. It seemed he was choosing not to.

"Let's get you cleaned up," he said and tried to walk Rebecca away. She shook her head and turned back to the window.

"My… my dad…"

"Did he do this to you?"

Rebecca shook her head. She didn't want her father to get in any trouble. She wasn't sure she could come up with a lie that would explain her cuts and the bruises she would have, but she didn't want to tattle on her father.

Mr. Burrows knew the truth. His wife had been at home all day with Ryan and sick with a cold, and with Rebecca and Troy both at school there would be no one to cook dinner. Mr. Burrows decided to pick something up on his way home and called Troy to see if there was any preference. He wanted to ask Rebecca as well but Troy informed him of where Rebecca had gone after school. Mr. Burrows had a bad feeling as soon as Troy said she was going to her father's and drove by hoping he would prove himself wrong.

He hadn't, but he was glad he had taken the long way home. When he heard Rebecca crying from down the street and then saw her trying to break into what should have been her home he knew there was trouble.

When she shook her head at his question he gently grabbed her arms and looked her right in her eyes.

"Rebecca, did your father do this to you?"

"I made him angry."

"Did your father do this to you?" he asked again. This time Rebecca didn't answer. She looked down at her feet. Mr. Burrows knew she was scared.

"You won't get in trouble," he assured her. "I just want to know. We'll need something to say when we talk to the doctor."

"I don't want to go to the doctor. I don't want to get him in trouble," Rebecca said but as it came out she knew she said too much. She looked up at Mr. Burrows and hoped he hadn't heard her.

"You tell me what he did and we won't go to the doctor," Mr. Burrows decided to compromise with her. He had looked after Troy after many martial arts, kung fu, and karate lessons, he was sure he could take care of Rebecca's injuries. "Go to the car, I'll give you a minute to think about what you want to do."

"What are you going to do?"

"I just want to talk to him."

"No! I'll go to the doctor. Don't…"

"I won't hurt him. I won't even call the police," Mr. Burrows took his phone out of his pocket and gave it to Rebecca, "Here. Wait for me in the car."

Rebecca took the phone and hesitantly walked to the car. When she was safely inside Mr. Burrows turned to the house and rang the bell until Mr. Daniels gave in and answered it. The door eventually swung open and Mr. Burrows was almost met with a fist to the face. He caught the fist and bent Mr. Daniels' wrist backwards until he was crying out in pain. Mr. Burrows shoved him back inside the house and walked in with him. He closed the door.

Mr. Daniels' looked up, "Get out of my house."

"Stay away from my daughter."

"Your daughter?"

"She's mine, now. I'll take her just like I took Troy. I'll make sure she's happier with me than she ever was with you."

"Take Troy. I lost him a long time ago," Mr. Daniels growled, "But you have no right to take my daughter…"

"I'm taking her. I'll take all your kids, no matter how many you have. They deserve better."

"You can't do that. I won't let you."

"Try and take her from me! Get off your lazy, sorry ass and do something to get her back. I'll even set up the court date."

"Get out of my house."

"Gladly," Mr. Burrows stormed out and slammed the door behind him as he left. By the time he got to his car he had regained his composure. He lowered himself into the driver's seat and then turned to Rebecca. He could see she was upset. He put his hand on her shoulder.

"Let's go home."


	2. The Hard Part Is Leaving

The following day, Rebecca was out at the Brainfreeze with her brother and the other Rangers. They heard of her visit to her father and wanted to help Rebecca, even if it just meant having frozen yogurt in silence, which it seemed Rebecca wanted to do.

She felt horrible for everything. She shouldn't have pushed her father's buttons and she should have walked away before their argument escalated. She shouldn't have moved in with the Burrows and made him feel like she had abandoned him. She shouldn't have gotten the Burrows involved the first time her father struck her. She shouldn't have gone to their house and she shouldn't have accepted their offer to stay the night, which inevitably led to them housing her for the following months.

She shouldn't have let Mr. Burrows take her home. He was missing work today to handle her problems. She was causing the Burrows a great deal of strife. Technically, Mrs. Burrows had washed her hands cleans of the Burrows before Rebecca had been born. This wasn't her problem.

Rebecca stared at the ice-cream treat before her. All her friends had chipped in to get her the biggest dessert Ernie could make but she didn't want to eat it. She had only taken a few bites so they wouldn't have thrown their money away.

Troy looked across the table at his sister and really understood why she was his little sister. She sat in the chair with her head down, her shoulders slumped, and her hands on her lap. She looked small. She was small and scared. Troy couldn't imagine how anyone could hurt her once, never mind repeatedly. Overnight, the bruises from where her father had hit her and slapped her had come out. Troy could count exactly how many times Mr. Daniels put his hands on her and knew exactly where he had put his hands. It disgusted him. If his parents hadn't specifically told him to stay far away from the Daniels' home, he'd go over and make sure his biological father at least one bruise for every one he had given Rebecca.

"Becca…" she flinched when he called her. She would do that now. It had only been one night but Rebecca wasn't the same. All the light that had been brought out of her when she moved in with the Burrows had already vanished. She would just sit either on the couch or up in her room and lose herself in her thoughts. Troy was sure she was beating herself up for what had happened. He would have been the same way. Anytime he tried to let her know she wasn't to blame, she wouldn't listen. Troy wasn't even sure she could hear him. She seemed so distant. Anytime he could get her attention she would look up at him with teary eyes and he couldn't bring himself to do anything but hold her.

Just like now. He wanted to reassure her but there was nothing he could say when he saw how lost she was. He took her in his arms.

A few moments later, the silence at the table was broken when the bell over the door rang. The Rangers looked over and saw Mrs. Holling walk into the shop. Jake got up and took his mother to sit at another table. He had called her after he found out what had happened. She had been at work at the time and so couldn't have done anything, but despite how she had treated him and Gia, Jake wanted to hope she would have tried to stop her husband.

Jake also wanted to hope she would do the right thing. Troy had already explained how Rebecca wouldn't speak to the police, and for now the Burrows agreed to let the matter go. Jake wanted something to be done. He wanted his step-sister and his mother to be and feel safe.

"How is she?" Mrs. Holling asked. Jake noticed that for the first time in a long time he saw deep concern on her face. He shrugged his shoulders.

"We'll take care of her. All of us. How are you?"

Mrs. Holling shrugged her shoulders, "Fine, I guess. Nothing happened after I came home."

"Nothing? Did you ask him about it?"

"I… I didn't want to anger him," Mrs. Holling shook her head. "I figured I would give him time to calm down. It'll give me time to come up with something to say to. You know, to let him know that even though I don't approve of what he did, he's not going to lose me."

Jake sighed, "You don't… you shouldn't stay with him, mom."

"I promised him for better or for worse," his mother stated. "Jake, I can't just…"

"For better or for worse doesn't mean… Mom, I don't think it's safe for you to stay with him. Not if he's like this. Not if he's going to keep drinking and throwing punches. You're going to get hurt."

"Jake, no offence to Rebecca, but I'm not a sixteen year old girl. This man is my husband and he's going through a hard time. I'm worried that if I just leave him now he'll get worse."

"I'm worried he'll get worse too. I've heard the horror stories, and I don't want to see that happen to you."

"You mean Gia's horror stories? Jake…"

"Mom, can you… look, can we just drop that and focus on Mr. Daniels? I'll give you props or whatever for wanting to help him out but you can't put yourself in danger."

"It's hardly danger."

"Look at what he's done to his daughter," Jake pointed to Rebecca. "That's his flesh and blood and he treated her like crap. Marriage means nothing. He'll turn on you. I don't want you around when that happens."

"If I leave, he'll only feel like everyone's turning their backs on him. It won't solve anything."

"You won't help him by staying. Mom, please. I don't want to see you being beaten to a pulp because you think you can change him."

"I'll leave the second he tries anything."

"He's already done something, mom. Please, just get out of there. Call the police, tip them off on what he's done. Protect yourself."

"You want me to call the police on my own husband? Jake, I wasn't even there. Rebecca won't even call the police, so why should I?"

"Because you're married to the scum-bag."

"I can help him."

"How?" Gia got up from her table and joined Jake and Mrs. Holling. She stood behind Jake and looked down at his mother. "How are you going to help him? You'll show him kindness? Patience? You'll support him? You know where that'll get you?"

"I don't need advice from you," Mrs. Holling hissed at Gia and crossed her arms over her chest. Gia continued.

"You'll give him the time and space you think he needs to grieve. You'll let him stay home so he doesn't have to stress out. You do that, and he's just going to drink. He'll never try to change himself. He'll never sober up. He'll never go look for help, or find a job. He'll just sit in front of the TV all day completely shit-faced."

"Look, I don't know what your little high school boyfriend did, but this is a marriage. Marriage is…"

"You think just because he's married that makes him different?" Gia asked. "The more you make up excuses for him, the more it's going to come to bite you in the ass. Everything you're saying to Jake, I've said to Emma. Do you know how close I came to changing my ex?"

"Well, you got him killed. There's a pretty big change right there."

"The longer I stayed with him, the worst he got. I never changed him. I never even came close. In fact, the more I tried to help him, the more support I showed, the more his true colours began to show. If you don't leave your husband now, you're only going to make life worse for him and for yourself."

"Please, mom," Jake reached out and took his mother's hand. He held it softly, "Maybe you don't have to tell the cops on him, but at least leave him. Help him by giving him nothing to lash out at."

"What if he starts to hurt himself? I can't let that happen to him."

"Get him into a rehab center," Gia suggested. "Convince him to go for his drinking. They'll look after him there so he doesn't hurt himself, and you don't have to put yourself in harm's way."

"He'll never go to rehab."

"If he doesn't want to change, you're never going to make him," Gia said. "And that's true for rehab just like it's true for staying at home with him."

"And what makes you the expert on what he'll do?"

"I'm not saying I'm the expert," Gia said. "All I'm saying is… Look, Mrs. Holling…"

"Daniels, actually."

"Whatever you want to be called," Gia shook her head, "I'll be honest. I hate your guts."

"Well, tell me how you really feel."

"And I don't even hate you for the things you say and think about me. I've long since put the notebook incident behind me. I hate you for what you've done to Jake. And as much as I would love to see you realize how wrong you are about domestic abuse by watching your husband slap you once, just once, across the face, I'm going to do everything I can to keep that from happening. Because as much as I hate you, I know Jake still cares about you. I know Jake still wants his mother around and I know how much it'll kill him to lose you the same way he's almost lost me."

"What does my relationship with Jake have to do with…?"

"If you stay with your husband, Jake's going to worry. If he's worried, he's going to stop by more often just to check up on you. He won't even announce he's coming. Why would he give your husband the warning? Then, one day, you're not going to be home when he stops by, and there'll be no one to stop your husband doing what he did to Rebecca to your son. Even if you don't cooperate with me, I'm going to make sure that never happens. If you don't do something to get your husband in a rehab, or if you don't leave, I'll call the police. I know what to say to get his sorry ass thrown in jail without Rebecca's help."

Gia picked up a napkin from the table and pulled out a pen from her pocket. She wrote down the number to a rehab center. Emma had given her the number a long time ago for Cliff. Gia hadn't used it, but she wished she had at least tried. She hoped Mrs. Holling wouldn't make the same mistake again.

"Jake will tell me what you choose," Gia said and then walked back to her table. She put her hands on Rebecca's shoulders and whispered something to the younger girl. Rebecca nodded and the two of them walked out of the Brainfreeze.

Jake watched them both go and then turned back to his mother. He shook his head sadly.

"I just… I don't want to see you get hurt," he told her.

Mrs. Holling looked down at the number in her hands and sighed, "I don't want to see him go to jail. He's a good guy; he's just having a rough time."

"Talk to him about rehab, then," Jake said. "But whatever you do please just… get out of there. Even if it's just temporary, mom, just so I don't have to worry."

"I'll… I'll think about it," his mother nodded. Jake smiled.

"Let me know. I want you safe."


	3. The Opposite Of Gray

Rebecca didn't really want to say anything as she walked silently through the city with Gia. She knew this was supposed to be the time she talked about what had happened between her and her father. Of all people, Gia would understand, but Rebecca couldn't put anything of how she was feeling into words. Nothing seemed like it would matter.

"I felt like you did at one point," Gia finally told her after about a mile of silence. "After Cliff left I blamed myself for everything. I'd barely even talk to Emma. It's why I got so closed off."

Rebecca still didn't say anything. She knew Gia was trying to help. She knew Gia could help, but it wasn't that easy.

"Nothing you say or feel is stupid," Gia assured her. "I waited months for Cliff to come back after he left. I had his number in my phone until Emma found it and deleted it, which, really, was only a few weeks before becoming a Ranger. Hell, sometimes when I'm with Jake I know I'm really happy but a part of me wants to go back to what I had with Cliff. Something about it just seems… oddly comforting. Not in the healthy way, of course. I'm just… I'm telling you all this because… I know how weird and scary this all feels now and… you need to say something."

Rebecca kept her silence.

"Okay… well, Serena did this thing with me," Gia continued, "It could be a compromise. When she helped me all she ever really asked of me was to say one word of how I felt. She never questioned it. She never made me elaborate. I just had to say one word and she wouldn't push me anymore. What if we did that? What if you just say one word? As long as it's got something to do with what's going on inside your head…"

"Ruined," it was a word Rebecca heard in her mind over and over since the argument. Her father made it very clear he thought she had ruined his life. She was certain she would ruin the Burrows' happy family with her mess. It seemed it was all she was good for. She remembered her first run in with Gia almost ruined the yellow Ranger's relationship with her parents. She had almost ruined the Rangers when she went out to find them in the woods and got herself and her brother kidnapped.

She was a ruiner – a bringer of doom. It was no wonder her father wanted nothing to do with her.

"Okay…" Gia nodded her head. It was a word. Unfortunately, she wasn't sure what Rebecca meant. She had to give Serena a lot of credit, this job wasn't easy. "Not everything's ruined. We're all here for you, you know. The Burrows are great, and you can always stay at my place if you ever need somewhere to go. We don't have a lot of room anymore but there's always something we can do."

"I don't feel ruined," Rebecca said. "I ruin things. I'm a screw up. I think I'm doing the right thing but I just… ruin life for everyone around me. Hell, if I was never born my mom would still be alive and no one would be in this mess."

"I'm happy you were born," Gia said. Rebecca turned to her and then shook her head. She couldn't have meant it. Gia continued. "I'm… I'm really glad you were born, actually. Even if the play went south, I probably wouldn't have had the guts to go through with it in the end if you hadn't of been there. If our stories were never really intertwined it would have been all about me and… I don't think I'm ready for that even now. You helping me… really helped me. And that fundraiser we did helped a lot of people. That never would have happened without the play."

"What about when I put the drugs and drink in your bag? You were pretty pissed back then."

"I anger easily," Gia said. "But in the end, there was no harm done. I think it even brought my dad and I closer."

"What about the Burrows?" Rebecca asked. "They shouldn't have to deal with my shit. I'm not their kid. I'm not their problem. Mr. Burrow was talking about getting lawyers if my dad tried to sue and I know enough to know that can get expensive. The law is always messy. It ruins families, and I'm the cause of that. What if their marriage falls apart because of it? What if…"

"Whoa, whoa, who said anything about their marriage falling apart?" Gia asked. "They're on the same side, Rebecca."

"But the stress and… I'm already the reason my dad and Mrs. Burrows divorced. What if I continue that tradition?"

"Something happening once isn't a tradition," Gia shook her head. "And unless you were a devil child in utero, I doubt you're the reason. For your dad to have been cheating so you could be conceived already points to a problem."

Gia stopped walking and took Rebecca's hands. She smiled at her, "You deserve a good home and a good family. You deserve to have people fighting for you. You deserve to get everything you need."

"I'm trouble."

"So am I," Gia said. "Emma found a gray hair the other day."

"She… did?"

"Well… she found it on the couch. I pretty sure it's one of mom's, though she'll deny it until her dying day. Either way, Emma found it and blamed it on me because of how much I stress her out. I am trouble. I made up the word trouble."

"No you didn't," Rebecca shook her head and then rolled her eyes. "But you… Cliff… Cliff was a dirt-bag. My own father wishes I wasn't born. My dad did all this. My dad hates me."

"I dated a douche, you came from one. There are some differences, but you deserving to be happy again is not one of them."

"But why should that be at the cost of some other family's happiness?"

"Who says you're costing anyone their happiness? Becca, I could give you a hundred reasons why Jake shouldn't be happy with me. He could give you a thousand more for why he is. It's not… you just, you can't ever assume how people are going to see you. The Burrows obviously love you if they're willing to fight for you. You have to open up to them. Trust me, it's scary, but it's a lot easier than living behind those walls."

"What if I like the walls?"

"You think you like the walls," Gia said. "You like them until one day you realize they're too high. You can't climb them anymore. You're safe behind them, but you're really, really lonely. If that's not bad enough, one day, water will start pouring in. You can't get out. You're going to drown unless you break down a wall. Unfortunately, you can't break the walls from inside."

"And what if I'd rather just drown?"

"I'd rather you not. And I don't think you want to either."

"What if no one wants to break the walls for me?" Rebecca asked. "Say I do start drowning and want to get out… what if no one's there? What if no one cares?"

"I'll care," Gia said. "I care now. Your walls aren't too high yet. You can still break them. You can still climb over them. I want it to stay that way."

"What if… I'm more trouble than I'm worth?" Rebecca asked. "What if the Burrows throw me out?"

"There's, like, a month until my birthday," Gia smiled. "I'll be eighteen. I'll take you in. If no one else wants you, I'll be there."

Gia put her arms around Rebecca, "But that's not going to happen. The Burrows love you. They'd have thrown you out a long time ago if they didn't. Not to mention, Troy's absolutely big brother crazy for you. You're really lucky. You're going to be okay. You're not going to suffer like I did."

"What if I… What if I want to go back to my dad?"

"That's the hardest part," Gia said. "That's the part we're here for. I know it feels wrong, but you have to listen to us. Stay away from him."

"He's my dad, Gia. I can't just throw that away."

"You have a choice: your father or your happiness? What's better for you? That's what's important."

"You can't make me choose between my father and my happiness."

"I'm not," Gia shook her head. "Your father is."

Rebecca sighed. "This sucks."

"It'll get easier," Gia assured her. "But if it feels like it doesn't, just turn around. We've got your back."

"Promise?"

"Yeah," Gia smiled and then pulled the younger girl in for a hug. Rebecca accepted the embrace. She was desperate for it. When they finally pulled apart she heard Gia chuckle. She looked up.

"What?"

"We just had a super intense moment, you know. I even hugged you."

There was a little spark in Rebecca's eyes, "Hey… we just did. I knew I'd get it out of you somehow. You're a big softy."

"Tell anyone about it and I'll turn the other eye black," Gia said.

Rebecca nodded her head and continued to walk with Gia down the street. They were already headed back to the Brainfreeze where their friends were waiting. Before they did get there, Rebecca wanted to say something.

"Gia?"

"Yeah."

"What's the opposite of gray?"

"There is no opposite."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Absolutely positive?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Just wondering what hair colour I'd get," Rebecca said. "Whatever the opposite of gray is, that's what hair you gave me."

"I guess you're going bald."

Rebecca grabbed her head, "Oh no!"


	4. A Daughter Once More

It had been about a week since Rebecca had last seen her father. Rebecca took her conversation with Gia to heart and did all she could to keep herself from closing up, especially on the people who wanted to help her. She confided her worries to Mr. and Mrs. Burrows; she stuck closely to Troy and her friends, and at school she talked to Ms. Chesterfield. At home, at school, and anywhere she was with her friends she felt safe.

But it was a huge leap between feeling safe and feeling like she was a part of a loving family again. Rebecca knew it was true in her heart, but it was still very strange to think of the Burrows as her new loving family. She continued to feel like a step-child.

One morning, as Rebecca was getting ready for school, the phone rang. It was never for her so she didn't bother answer it. Someone must have because it stopped ringing quickly. Rebecca finished getting dressed and then stepped outside of her room into the hallway. She wanted to go down the stairs but she overheard Mrs. Burrows on the phone.

"What do you want, Carl? What's going to make you drop this?"

Rebecca knew she was talking to her father. She sat at the top of the stairs and listened.

"I'm not going to ask you for any money. That's not what this is about… Yes, I know she's not my daughter."

Rebecca bit her lip. She had been hearing that all week whenever one of the Burrows was on the phone with her father. It seemed he liked to remind them that they had no right to take her away from him because he was her biological father and she was nothing to them.

"Carl, why would I try to come after your money? I'm still waiting on child support for Troy! I've figured out I can't get anything from you at this point."

Rebecca sighed hearing this. It seemed her father had never been very dependable when it came to taking care of other people. It was no real surprise he couldn't handle being a single father.

"Do you really think I'm going to pity you because your wife moved out?" Mrs. Burrows said and Rebecca frowned. This was news to her. She knew Jake had talked with his mother about leaving her father, but she never heard anything after that. It seemed Mrs. Holling did have enough sense to pack up and leave.

"Carl, I'm not happy this is happening. I couldn't care less about how your life turns out, but Rebecca doesn't need this. She's just a… HEY!" Mrs. Burrows suddenly yelled. "Watch yourself, Carl! You can say whatever the hell you want about me and my husband, but that's your daughter! Show her some respect!"

Rebecca felt her eyes water and wiped away the tears with her sleeve before they could drip down her face. She had no idea what her father had called her but she had heard some of the names he had for her both when he had beaten and in the week following. Those were what hurt the most.

"You really think I don't know that, Carl? I don't care whose daughter she is or when she was conceived. She's a kid and she needs a family. If you had even a shred of humanity inside of you, you'd stop calling. She's happy here and she's off your hands. You don't owe any money; she's not your responsibility anymore. Chris and I are looking after her. She's our responsibility. We'll take care of her. And I don't care who's kid she is, she's my daughter now. Back off!"

Mrs. Burrows hung up the phone and slammed it down on the kitchen island. She took in a deep breathe to calm herself down and then tried to finish making lunches for Troy and Rebecca for school. She lay down four slices of bread on the counter and was about to start assembling them when she thought she felt someone behind her. She turned around and jumped when she saw Rebecca.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"You just said that to get him off your back, right?" Rebecca asked. Mrs. Burrows frowned.

"I'm sorry?"

"So he'd stop calling. So he'll stop bugging you at random hours of the day. You… you didn't really mean it, did you?"

"Mean what?" Mrs. Burrows asked.

"I'm your daughter?"

Mrs. Burrows smiled, "Yeah. I figured you've lived here long enough. You pull your weight in this family. That's got to mean something."

"I… I was just… helping out," Rebecca said. "You took me in so… it's the least I can do. I…"

Mrs. Burrows put the sandwiches down and walked over to Rebecca. She put her hands on her arms and smiled at her.

"I want to see you happy," she said. "I'll do everything to see you happy and safe. I'm always going to be here, looking out for whatever you need."

"But I'm not…"

"You're just as much a part of this family as anyone else in this house. You have a home here. I love you."

Rebecca smiled. She looked up at Mrs. Burrows and then threw herself into her arms.

"Thank you."

"You're a good kid. Your father's an idiot for screwing it up. Chris and I aren't going to be like that," Mrs. Burrows promised.

Rebecca nodded her head. She believed that was true. It was a shame her relationship with her father seemed to be over, but at least now she really knew she had moved on to something better. Since her mother had died she always wanted to have a family. She never thought it possible. Not even in her dreams did she every think she could feel the love, support, and safety that a family could provide her.

This was better than a dream come true. It wasn't perfect, but it was exactly what she wished for.


End file.
